About The Author

Fliss Goldsmith is a human with a focus! Her mission is to make a difference in the lives of children everywhere. As a mother to two children, whom she describes as, "the most fantastic mixture of chaos, kindness, and fun", she knows how lucky she is to bear the title ‘Mummy’ of which she is most proud. Her own children are her greatest inspiration and have led her to work with and experience the lives of children all over the world. 

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Fliss went to The University of Birmingham where she gained a Degree in Ancient History. Her passion for what has gone before was enriched by this experience, but it was her desire to shape the future that motivated her to change direction.

 

Aged 23 she went to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and gained a Masters Degree in Acting. From here she created her own drama company and began devising and delivering drama sessions for children. Her ethos was that communication, creativity, and confidence were essential to the growth and foundational support of every child. She immersed herself in this work and was rewarded by every child she was blessed to work with, in seeing them find their voice and understand themselves a little better.

 

When Fliss was 29 she gave birth to her beautiful daughter and her world was turned upside down in the most wonderful way. Re-evaluating the way life looked she decided that she needed to be at home with her growing girl and so took a back seat while employing others to carry out her drama dreams for children. In 2015 Fliss was thrilled to learn she was to become a Mummy for a second time and gave birth to her son Roderick. Now having two young children she decided that she wanted to take some time out to truly be present in the most beautiful time of her life.

 

Her health suffered a blow when she was diagnosed with a primary immune disease and Fibromyalgia in 2017. This was the year that Fliss decided that she would not be beaten. Despite being taken in an ambulance to the emergency ward more times than she can remember, she vowed that her illness would not define her – rather it would encourage her. It encouraged her to adapt, to fully engage in what was important, to take courage from everyday achievements, and most importantly to relish every moment with her family.

 

As things began to even out, with an army of consultants on speed dial and a medication regime that needed its own Degree to fathom she returned to the passion of her childhood – writing.

 

Fliss had been a published poet in her early 20’s and had written many stage plays for both children and adults. What she really wanted to do though was to strip things back to the pure joy of writing a story. She told stories all her life, to her family, her friends, to her students, and to her own babies at bedtime. Now it was time to actually write some down! 

 

This is where her ‘Erin and Roderick Discover’ series was born. With the aim of encouraging children everywhere to see others like them in stories, recognise their heritage, their situation, and discuss some of the more sensitive topics that we find as we grow. Fliss also wanted an engaging set of stories for grown-ups to use as a way of expanding the readers' experience of subject matter and aiding and supporting them and their children. 

 

Outside of writing Fliss loves walking in all weathers (she has to living in the UK!) She also adores mystery dramas, Cooking and being incredibly silly! Always active in her community, she was proud to be part of the creation of the first-ever Pride event in her town, delivering a day of celebrating how we are united by our differences. Fliss was head of the children’s area and felt humbled to be able to spend the day talking about empowerment, diversity, and inclusion with so many wonderful people. She regularly reports on local events and provides interviews for both radio and podcasts. Her motto for life is ‘Whatever the question, let love be the answer,’ and she endeavors to live by this every single day.